Tempting the Temptress
by MeBeKiki
Summary: Whatever Rouge wants, she gets. And after a passionate encounter with a certain red echidna on Angel Island, she isn't entirely sure of what she wants anymore. {Knuckles/Rouge}
1. Chapter 1

Whatever Rouge wants, Rouge gets. It was in her nature to use her beauty and sexuality on anyone weak enough to fall for her charms. And right now, she wanted a free drink at one of the hottest night clubs on the block.

After Team Dark successfully defused three of Eggman's bombs and destroyed one of his bases, Commander Tower was courteous enough to grant them three days off. Three, glorious days of freedom and relaxation. Knowing that her handsome, dark ally wouldn't want to go anywhere outside of Rouge's apartment, she decided to treat herself and went out of town. Now, the ivory bat was window-shopping on the streets of Myrtle Avenue, and flirting with bartenders for shots of tequila.

She was draped in a low cut, backless red dress that showed off her shapely and fantastic legs. Her large breasts were practically popping out of her dress, the tiny strapless bra underneath barely doing anything to support them. She was wearing a thong rather than her usual lacy underwear to ensure that the skin tight outfit would show off her rear in the best way possible. Of course, the dress had to hug every curve on her perfectly sculpted body. Rouge smiled at the men who couldn't keep their eyes to themselves, lowering her eyelids to show off her sultry eyeshadow. After a few quips and suggestive remarks, it was clear that the bartender wanted his money's worth – literally – and wasn't responding positively to the vibes the temptress was giving him. If she couldn't put the moves on him, she would need to find another target.

As if on cue, a green hedgehog emerged from the flashing lights and swarm of gyrating bodies on the dancefloor. The first thing Rouge noticed was the Bulgari watch he wore on his right wrist, it glistened against the fluorescent lighting and shone with such brilliance that Rouge almost felt hypnotized by it. She knew then and there that he would be the one to save her a good amount of rings that would be well spent on some new clothes. And fortunately, the first thing that green hedgehog noticed, was her.

He sat on the stool next to her, drinking in her beautiful figure. Rouge smiled and crossed her legs, her dress folding and rising a bit as she did so, giving him more to drool over. He grinned at her, showing off his pearly whites and giving Rouge a moment to acknowledge just how attractive he actually was. She felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of what they could do for the rest of the night, and the loud music and smell of sweat only added to the excitement.

"I love your dress." He said, looking into her teal eyes before settling his gaze on her breasts. And yet, Rouge didn't seem to mind.

"I love your watch…" Was her response as she subconsciously twirled tufts of her white fur whilst biting her lip.

"Oh, this?" He smirked, waving it around as if it was a prize to be won, "I snatched it off a guy down in Central City."

Rouge laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Nobody likes a pit pocket."

"Indeed, but I wasn't planning on paying for one." He responded, scooting his stool closer to her. Of course, Rouge, scooted hers closer to him as well, making sure they were close enough for him to be able to smell her perfume.

"Excuse me if I'm being too forward, but shit… you are sexy. Way too sexy to be here all alone." He smiled at her, focusing on her actual face instead of body, then closing his eyes to take another whiff of her alluring scent.

"Well, excuse me if I'm being too forward, but… I was about to say the same thing to you, handsome." She lowered her eyelids, "And call me Rouge."

"The name's Scourge," was his reply, and he held out his hand to hers. She took it and shook, and right as she did, he lifted her hand to his lips, and planted a soft one on her.

"Scourge… I love it." She smiled, leaning forward so they were even closer to one another, while giving him an even better view of her breasts.

"It isn't as lovely as your name, Miss Rouge. Can I buy you a drink?"

"Who am I to say no to an offer like that?" Rouge said deviously, laughing as she did so.

He smiled at her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet.

 _Hook, line and sinker._

"Two strawberry margaritas, on the rocks please." He winked at Rouge, who silently nodded in approval.

"You have good taste." She commented, trying her best to not let her eyes drift down to that watch.

"I know. I mean, out of all the babes in this place I picked you, right?" He said jokingly. Rouge felt a bit of a pang at this comment, finding it to be the slightest bit sexist, but she refused to fully acknowledge it. She didn't dare let her facial expression falter.

The bartender set their drinks down, eyeing Scourge suspiciously as if he were going to attempt to slip something into Rouge's drink. Fortunately, Rouge knew how to look out for himself, and Scourge didn't even lay a finger on her margarita.

She grabbed the drink, parting her glossy lips and allowing the tangy yet sweet liquid slide down her throat. Since she knew it would be the first of many, she didn't try too hard to savor every single sip of it. And neither did Scourge.

After a few more drinks, it was clear to Rouge that Scourge was buzzed, but she hadn't reached the pinnacle of her fun just yet. As a lady, Rouge had learned how to hold her liquor, and she still had enough brains to make sure nobody pulled any funny business on her. She grabbed Scourge, whose head had been flat on the bar table and yanked him out of his seat. He stared at her confusedly for a moment, before regaining his 'cool-guy' demeanor. But on Rouge, it wasn't working. She was always the player, never the one to get played. And it was clear to her that this hedgehog in particular probably had skills in breaking hearts, but boy, was he going to learn tonight.

"Do you… you want another drink?" He slurred, but she laughed and shook her head.

"I want to dance with you." She told him, grabbing both of his hands, and placing one of them on her fantastic hips, and the other tantalizingly close to her right breast. "With your hands here." She said, with that sultry smile that could make almost any man melt before her feet.

His eyes widened, but he nodded profusely, taking her manicured hand into his and leading her to the dancefloor eagerly. Right as he was about to reposition his hands, Rouge instantly turned around, giving him a view of her round rear. Suggestive music was blasting and Rouge was right on beat. She grinded and popped, locked, and dropped against Scourge's body, pushing her ass into his crotch and giggling when she felt something poking out against her. She looked back slightly, just enough to note how he was staring at her as they continued to dirty dance. He began caressing her body and touching her everywhere. As his hand felt her inner thigh, she felt the cold sensation of metal pressed against her skin, and smirked when she noticed his Bulgari watch inching towards her thong.

"Scourge, we're still in public, you naughty, naughty boy…" She breathed, but didn't actually mind at all. She brought his hand up to her delicate flower, knowing it's what he's been after the entire time. She moved her body rhythmically against his as he tried to feel as much of her as he could with all the clothing that was in between them. While he was busy groping her, she rubbed on the arm that he was wearing his watch on, and in one swift motion, skillfully unlatched the watch from his hand, slipping it into her strapless bra. They danced for a few more rounds, then Rouge eventually pulled him out of the swarm of sweaty bodies, planting a kiss on his cheek. He blinked for a few moments, it took him a while to realize they were no longer dancing.

"What's wrong, babe? Everything okay?" He asked.

"It's all good, I just need to use the restroom. Don't wait up." She winked, then without waiting for a response, she turned around and strutted on out of the club, and never looked back.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

"I'm home!" Rouge sang, dropping her keys on the table and skipping along to the living room happily. She was still wearing her sexy red dress, which got her discounts on a lot of the clothes she purchased. She had several shopping bags in her hand and a Bulgari watch on her wrist, life couldn't get any better.

"Hmph." Was her roommate's unimpressed response, he didn't even bother to acknowledge her or look her way. His eyes were glued to the TV.

"What are you watching that's so important?" Rouge asked, puzzled. But yet again, the black and red hedgehog gave her no response.

Frowning, Rouge walked over and sat next to Shadow, looking at the TV show he was watching. It was a reality show called ' _Player Gets Played,'_ and sardonically reminded her of last night with Scourge, the handsy hedgehog – whose gullibility rivaled that of a certain echidna she knew.

 _Gee, I sure wonder how he's doing…_

She snapped herself out of that thought immediately. The only reason Rouge was interested in Angel Island was for the large, green emerald that she could never successfully steal. That, and there were many secrets on that island that Rouge was interested in. Then, maybe after that, she was somewhat overwhelmed by the stubborn, hotheaded guardian.

"Shadow, wanna hang out?" Rouge asked suddenly.

His reply was just about as sudden as her question.

"No." He deadpanned.

"Oh, come on!"

"You knew I was going to say no. That's why you went out of town in the first place."

"It doesn't hurt to ask again. You NEVER go anywhere with me. You need to stop being so sulky."

"Why? So I can watch you flash your tatas to some creep that's twice your age and get a galaxy named after you?" He asked sarcastically, "Nice watch by the way."

Rouge smiled, looking at her newest prized possession. "Thanks, I – wait a minute! HEY!"

He chuckled, though there was practically no smile on his face and it was the most monotonous 'laugh' Rouge had ever heard. Sometimes Shadow's lack of emotion genuinely surprised her, though she had been around the reclusive hedgehog for quite some time.

"Shadow, what exactly are you trying to imply?"

"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to, batgirl." He said, his crimson eyes finally sliding over to meet her teal ones. "You've always been… outgoing when it comes to men. You may want to slow down. One of these days, they're going to take your winks too seriously and literally name a planet after you."

"Planet Rouge… sounds lovely." Rouge smirked. Shadow rolled his eyes, focusing in on the TV show he was watching. It was unlike him to be entertained by a show with such little substance.

"Is this really all that fascinating to you, Shadow? Do you really enjoy this show?"

He shook his head. "I'd rather watch this than go outside, though. I'll give you that."

Rouge frowned, standing up. She couldn't stay in one place for too long. Having three days off from being an agent may mean binge watching TV shows for anyone else, and that's what it usually meant to Rouge, but now she felt like taking the time to explore and go to new places and truly drink in the sights and scenery. She went to amazing places while doing various tasks for G.U.N. alongside Shadow and Omega, but hardly had time to take in the scenery because there were always other priorities. Now, Rouge was not going to take her time off for granted. Of course she wouldn't do anything too audacious, like jetting off to Paris, but she could work with her surroundings.

…Or, maybe the surroundings of another area she was familiar with. Feeling herself give into her secret desire of scouring Angel Island and possibly making another petty attempt to grab the large emerald she had lusted after for so long, Rouge stood up, taking her overpriced watch off and placing it carefully in her room. She knew Shadow well enough to know he wouldn't care for the watch, seeing it as another meaningless material good. She slipped into her usual jumpsuit with the pink heart breastplate, and put her boots on, ready to go treasure hunting.

"It hasn't been an hour since you got home, and you're leaving again?" Shadow asked, leaning forward to face Rouge again.

"I'm heading to Angel Island for a little treasure hunting. Did you wanna come with?" She smirked, knowing his answer already.

He didn't respond, simply slouched on the couch with his usual scowl. Rouge rolled her eyes, the smile disappearing as she left the apartment yet again, in search of something far more valuable than her watch. She exited her apartment and looked towards the sky. The weather was nice, and the skies were clear. It was the perfect day to search for gems on a floating island. She allowed her wings to stretch, and got ready to take flight.

Once Rouge was high in the sky and nearing Angel Island, rather than showing Knuckles up at the altar, she took a detour and decided to descend into the greenery and do a bit of exploring. She landed quietly and gracefully on the island, taking a moment to admire the beauty and nature. All the plants on the island were healthy. All the trees stood tall, and the water sparkled underneath sun. Rouge couldn't help wondering what it would be like to actually live on the island, it was so pure compared to the industrialized and polluted world beneath it. The island was quite literally a heaven of some sort. Unfortunately the Master Emerald attracted pests and thieves – such as herself – and if the emerald ever was moved, the island would sink. This wasn't the first time Rouge had taken the time to think about this, and whenever she did, she felt trodden with guilt for giving Knuckles such a hard time with his emerald. It was all he really seemed to have. However, one argument with him was all she needed to be reminded that they were not friends, and he wasn't worthy of her sympathy.

Rouge looked around at the plants, allowing her fingertips to lightly touch the leaves and branches, smiling when she got morning dew on her hands. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of nature, finding the simplest plants and admiring their beauty. After walking for a while she noticed the altar coming closer into view. Her stomach turned. For some reason the thought of seeing Knuckles there made her want to turn around, though she wasn't sure why. Just a few moments before, she didn't give a damn about what he thought or how he would feel about her trespassing, but she brushed the thoughts behind her. She was too entranced by the beauty of the island to be able to focus full attention on hunting for jewels.

But coincidentally, that was the moment she saw it. As she averted her gaze from the altar ahead, her eyes fell on a large, moss covered rock. And underneath the rock, for a split second, there was a glimmer. For an ordinary person, it wouldn't mean anything. But for a treasure hunter such as Rouge, it meant everything. She knew right away that it was a jewel, but the rock was large and Rouge knew she would have trouble moving it.

But that didn't stop her from trying.

She rushed towards the rock, grabbing it and pushing it with all the force she could possibly give. It just wasn't enough. Rouge was able to throw a punch or two, but her true power was found in her legs. She stepped back, then gave the rock the hardest kick she could, and was satisfied when the rock went tumbling towards the left. The glimmer she had seen turned out to be a diamond, covered by leaves. She rushed forward, grabbing it ever so gently, but as she removed the leaves covering it, she realized that it wasn't just a diamond, but rather a diamond necklace, with several other diamonds attached to it. She was stunned, squinting and holding the necklace close to her eye to make sure it wasn't a fraud. And if it was, she would be able to tell without a doubt. Her entire life had been dependent on the legitimacy of jewels, from the moment she was a young, homeless bat trying to make a few extra rings on the street. But it was real. Even the chain that laced all the diamonds together was silver, which was impressive despite not being as valuable. Rouge didn't hesitate to put the necklace on, desperately itching to find a mirror so she could see how good it looked on her.

Still, she couldn't help wondering why there was such an exquisite necklace on the island. It was incredibly beautiful, and Rouge decided that she wouldn't stir up any drama with the 'big, bad guardian' today. Instead, she turned around and decided to walk back a bit and find a nice clearing, then leave the island wordlessly. She could always harass Knuckles on another day. As she was walking though, a deep voice stopped her in her tracks. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard it.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" He demanded.

Rouge slowly turned around, facing the fuming echidna. It had been a couple of months since her last visit to Angel Island, and in that time it was clear that Knuckles hadn't slacked off in his training. His arms were much bulkier than the last time she'd seen him. He was as handsome as ever, with some of the finest shoulders she had ever seen. She tried not to display too much interest in his body, but his dedication to staying fit paid off – and made it quite difficult.

"Oh… hi Knuckles. Didn't see ya there." She laughed nervously.

His eyes widened and jaw dropped when he noticed the elaborate necklace she had been wearing. His eyes flashed to the rock that she kicked aside.

"Wha… you… How…!?"

Rouge blinked a couple of times, noticing that he was staring at her chest, and hoping that it was because he was admiring her rather large 'assets,' and not the diamond necklace she was attempting to run off with.

"Erm, what do you mean?" She asked, crossing her arms and trying to push her breasts up higher.

He stepped forward and reflexively, she stepped back. He shook his sooty mitt at her.

"I'm talking about that necklace… on your… well, your neck of course! That's mine, and I made sure it was hidden under that rock so you wouldn't be able to get it!"

"Oh, you didn't think I was strong enough to move it, didja?" Rouge said tauntingly, giving him a toothy smile and showing off her fangs.

Knuckles growled.

"God, I can't stand you! You're so pathetic, always bothering me here and trying to steal everything important from me. Well I'm sick of it! Give me that necklace back or you'll be sorry."

The smile vanished in an instant.

"If this necklace means so much to you, it would be right next to your stupid emerald. I'm not giving it back, finders keepers, losers weepers!" It was an immature thing to say, but Rouge couldn't help acting immature around Knuckles sometimes.

"I'm not joking, Rouge. Give me the necklace." He growled, walking closer to her.

Rouge surveyed her options. There was no way in hell she would give the necklace back, especially given how much of an asshole Knuckles was being about it. The altar was much closer than the clearing that she had tried to walk towards, which was evident in how fast Knuckles was able to catch up to her. So she knew which escape route she would take. Bending down slowly, she picked up a stick from the ground, then instantly hurled it towards Knuckles's face. It jabbed him right in the eye, and he let out a pained cry, taking a moment to nurse the pain away. While he was preoccupied with his eye, Rouge took that moment to make a beeline towards the altar. Knuckles noticed this, and quickly recovered, running after the sneaky bat.

"Come back here! Give me that necklace!" He yelled.

Rouge ignored him, panting and sprinting as fast as she possibly could. She smiled as the full warmth of the sun hit her, and they were out of the foresty part of the island. She was nearing the edge of the island, and was ready to spread her wings and fly off. But right before she could, Knuckles tackled her, sending her into the grass face first. Her head was smashed in the ground, leaving her dazed momentarily, but she quickly stood up, turning around only to be met by Knuckles' fist. He punched her in the arm, but the momentum was enough to send her flying back into the ground.

 _Damnit, that hurt… He's going to pay._

She sneered at him, lying back on both arms, then swinging her hips up and bringing her knees back before jutting them out right as he charged towards her again. The impact sent him flying as well.

"Oof…" he grunted, rubbing his legs, but he still stood up and held his fists up menacingly. Rouge ran towards him, ducking when he went in for another punch, and then trying to catch him off guard by doing one of her low kicks. However, he knew her strategy a bit too well and jumped right on beat. She continued to try to disarm him with kicks, while he countered with punches. It was futile. They were matched in strength and speed, as if destined to fight together, not against each other.

Still, she wasn't leaving the island injured _and_ empty-handed. To do so would leave both her and her ego wounded – and that could NOT happen. Rouge attempted to kick Knuckles in the head, but midair he caught her leg. Instantly, she bent backwards, swinging her leg backward and sending Knuckles over her head, and crashing into some green foliage. The leaves cushioned his fall, and he was back on his feet, charging towards her again, then without hesitation, he punched her in the chest. She tried her best not to fall over completely, but did stagger. She held onto her boobs and grit her teeth. He had managed to hit her where it hurt.

" _Ouch._ " She growled, fighting back tears as she raised her own fist to punch him in the gut, but he caught her fist instantly and pulled her to the ground, then attempted to pin her down. At first he was succeeding, considering he was much stronger than Rouge when it came to arm strength. Unfortunately for him, Rouge knew how to put up a fight. She kicked, screamed, even spit in his face to get him off of her. Knuckles closed his eyes and grimaced in disgust, before extending his grubby hands towards the necklace. As soon as he did so, Rouge kneed him in the groin area, to which he shouted in pain. His grip on her arms had loosened, and Rouge took the moment to shove him off of her and stand up. She was close to freedom, close to flying off the island and keeping the diamond necklace forever. But Knuckles was determined to get that necklace back. As she staggered towards the island's edge, she felt a tug at the back of her jumpsuit. She was forcefully turned around, facing Knuckles as he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Let me go!" She hissed, expecting him to rip it off her neck immediately.

"If you won't give me the necklace," He said in a voice Rouge almost would have considered alluring if he didn't have such a callous expression on his face, "Then let me try a different approach…"

Their faces were inches apart, his sweet breath was gently slapping Rouge's face. She stopped struggling momentarily, trying to absorb what exactly was happening at that exact moment. It's as if his emotions did a 360. His eyes were an unusually darker shade of purple. She could see fire in his eyes, she ALWAYS saw fire in his eyes. There was something else though. Hatred, yes, but…

Then his lips crashed into hers. Rouge's eyes widened, before closing instinctively. But she was totally lost. He was… kissing her. He adjusted himself so that his hands were on both sides of her waist, and somewhere along the line he had taken his gloves off because she could feel his fingers massaging deep circles into her hips. And it felt amazing. Her heart was beating at a speed that rivaled Sonic's running abilities, and though she should've been suspicious, the way he was touching her was dangerously distracting.

She pushed him away gently, looking into his eyes.

"What are you trying to pull on me?" She asked, her hands propped on his chest. She was trying to look curious, but she probably looked nervous. Her hands were shaking. It was strange, the power she seemingly allowed Knuckles to have over her, her confidence and charms never worked on him.

He didn't say anything, only leaned in and kissed Rouge again, and she slowly felt her arms sliding up and latching onto his neck.

She felt his tongue poking, demanding entrance. She slightly parted them and allowed him in. Their tongues did a fiery dance, battled for victory and dominance - akin to their fighting. Rouge's cheeks flared up and she pulled him in closer until her chest was squished against his abs. She could taste the sweetness of grapes on his lips, and it only succeeded in heightening her arousal, as she knew the echidna's infatuation with grapes all too well. Her knees felt weaker than before as he nipped, bit and tugged at her bottom lip, which was beginning to feel sore from all the attention it was getting. If there was one thing Rouge had learned in all of her encounters with Knuckles, it's that he wasn't gentle. While that may be overwhelming for most women, Rouge secretly loved it, mainly because she wasn't afraid to come back to him just as roughly. And judging by the way she was reacting to his hot kisses, he was well aware of it.

He began sliding his hands up and down her body, as if memorizing every single curve. His hands lowered until he grabbed her round butt, which he didn't hesitate to squeeze. Rouge pulled herself away from his lips to squeal in delight. And he continued to squeeze and massage her ass, even smacking it for her.

"Ah, Knuckles…" Rouge moaned dreamily as he moved to her neck, sucking certain spots of her skin and leaving kisses everywhere. He kept one hand focused on her rear end, then moved another one up into her pure ivory fur, stroking it softly. Rouge wanted to get her fair share, so she knotted her fingers in Knuckles red fur, moving her hands up and down and feeling the muscles concealed by the fur on his chest. He continued to kiss her neck with a surprising tenderness she had never witnessed in him before. She felt his warm tongue begin sliding around, lower, lower… until he was closer to her breasts.

Desperate for his lips to be on hers again, Rouge cupped Knuckles' face and brought him back up. She leaned in and kissed him, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers. She could feel the smile on his face as he kissed her fervently, playing with her butt for a couple of moments before moving back to her hips. He pulled away and nibbled at her ear teasingly.

"I've always wanted to do this to you…" He whispered, sending chills down her spine.

"J-just keep touching me…" Rouge stammered, realizing how flustered she was in the heat of the moment. Everything they were doing felt wrong yet right at the same time. She was never flustered, not even in moments like this. Had it been any other guy she was kissing, such as Scourge from last night, she would have been confident, powerful, in charge. But now, all she wanted was for Knuckles to continue pleasuring her in ways she had experienced countless times before, that felt mysteriously new to her at the moment.

"As you wish." He smirked, planting kisses on her cheeks and head, and deep into her snow white fur. His hands slid up to her breasts, squeezing them together, which earned a heavy sigh from the curvaceous bat. Soon her nipples had grown erect at Knuckles' touch, and he gently twisted them around, enjoying how Rouge had reacted. She could hardly grasp onto any rational thoughts when an extremely hot echidna was playing with some of the most sensitive parts of her body. She moaned, rubbing Knuckles' shoulders as she did so.

She felt an odd satisfaction from having him fondle her breasts and butt. Usually, guys would fawn over her body, but Knuckles had always seemed disinterested in her body – and more interested in keeping her away from his emerald. Now, he was all over her, touching her and teasing her. It didn't make sense, this sudden interest…

It clicked to her a little too late when his fingers gently made their way from her breasts to her arms, and from her arms to her shoulders, and slowly but carefully… to her neck.

 _That bastard._

Rouge retracted immediately, wiping the saliva from her lips, and pulling her breastplate up to try and cover up as much as possible. This was a rare incident in which Rouge felt absolute humiliation.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_

Knuckles smiled at her victoriously, dangling the necklace out in front of her. Any signs of desire he may have had towards her seemingly vanished. He was as unimpressed by her body and 'charms' as he had been before.

"You…" Even worse, she hadn't realized that they were at the island's edge.

"This is what you wanted, right? You ran towards the altar so you could fly off the island… Well, I can help you with that." He grabbed her by the waist and turned her around again, but this time she was facing the vast sky. Without any hesitation or remorse, he pushed her off the edge, sending her flying towards the bustling streets of Station Square.

"Good riddance, lousy bat." He muttered loud enough for Rouge to hear. Her ears twitched and she was too shocked to be able to fully process what was happening. The wind was slapping her face. It was cold, harsh, and painful. Three feelings she'd felt at what Knuckles did to her.

She unfolded her wings, allowing them to catch wind, and began flying towards her apartment. Once she arrived at her doorstep, she took a moment to rest outside before going in. Her heart was still beating at a ridiculously high speed. Finally, she entered her apartment, trying to walk as steadily as possible, which was difficult because she felt wobbly at her knees. Shadow was still being a bum, and still slouched on the couch watching TV. He was watching that same TV show 'Player Gets Played.' And this time, Rouge felt as though she'd been slapped, because she realized that Knuckles had done to her what she had done to Scourge.

"That stinkin' echidna… I'll show him…" She murmured, her fists clenched.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Shadow asked, though Rouge knew he didn't really care.

She didn't even bother addressing his question, she was too mad to do so.

"I'll get that diamond necklace." She said, pausing to touch her lips. "…And then some."

* * *

 **a/n: Of course I would start a new story when I still need to finish my other ones... This story is going to be a three parter. Yep, only 3 chapters because I suck at multi-chapter stories, I really do. It's rated T for now, but will be rated M when I update it. c;**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning; chapter may contain content a bit… sour.**

* * *

" _Don't act coy with me, Knuckie. Just give it a taste." Rouge giggled, staring down at the steamy echidna whose hands were tracing her fantastic hips. She was naked at the top of the altar, legs spread apart and waiting patiently to experience a whole new world of pleasure. He gave her a daring look, a tiny smirk gracing his handsome features. She lost herself in his violet orbs; he was too beautiful, too perfect underneath the green glow of the Master Emerald._

 _Finally, he rested his hands on her legs, sighing and shaking his head._

" _It's been awhile since I've done this, so don't complain if my skills aren't up to par with what you usually receive." He responded, his eyes drifting down to her womanhood. He closed his eyes, momentarily relishing in her sweet scent. "Mmm… Batgirl." He whispered._

 _She bit her lip as he leaned in, slowly and sensuously jutting his tongue out. As soon as his tongue made contact she moaned._

" _Aah…"_

* * *

"Knuckles…" Was the first word the ivory bat uttered that morning. Her eyes slowly opened and she was met with harsh sunlight and the realization that she had a piercing headache. She flinched, immediately grabbing her forehead.

"Fuck," she growled with a glare on her face. This had been her thousandth dream about Knuckles. Okay, maybe that was an over exaggeration, but the fact still remained. Ever since he pushed her off Angel Island, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It started out with her performance in missions deteriorating. Then she found that going out on jewel heists was a bust. Every time she saw a beautifully crafted jewel, she half expected a well sculpted echidna to grab her by the hips and kiss her. Now, all she had left were her charms to have fun with different men around town – and her self-esteem had still dropped tremendously after being seduced by Knuckles.

The sun was really bothering her now though. She didn't even remember leaving the curtains open, but when she tried to get up she realized she couldn't because there was a weight on her chest. Looking down, she saw a rather muscular arm with ash gray fur. Her eyes trailed to its source. He was a bat. A bit cute, but not her type, and ultimately only good for a one night stand. Which, judging by the empty bottles of alcohol and clothes thrown sloppily on the floor, they did indeed have.

She removed his arm from her body, which was aching, and weakly trudged over, closing the curtains. At that exact moment, Shadow opened her door without knocking.

"Rouge, we have a mission – oh my God." He turned away, his muzzle completely red.

Rouge turned instantly, looking at Shadow. She looked down at herself. She was completely nude.

"Oh. Woops?" She said sheepishly, grabbing part of the blanket from her bed to cover herself.

"We… have a mission. Get dressed." Shadow muttered, refusing to look at Rouge.

"I'm somewhat decent. You don't have to close your eyes." Rouge replied.

"Oh please, you're _never_ decent." Shadow said, allowing his crimson eyes to give her a disgusted glance.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rouge asked indignantly.

"It means stop whoring around!" He snapped, walking out of her room. He slammed the door shut, which in turn woke up Rouge's boy toy.

"Whaa – huh!?" The male bat said, clueless.

"Ugh." Rouge said, throwing his shirt and pants at him. "Get out of my apartment."

He frowned, putting his clothes on reluctantly.

"You sure you don't wanna go for round 2?"

"You could hardly handle me the first time. And I told you to leave." Rouge said, massaging her temple while making sure he couldn't see any part of her body.

He said nothing, sulkily walking towards her windows and opening the curtains, revealing the blinding sunlight once more. She waited until he had flown completely out of sight before closing it again.

Once she was completely showered and dressed, she walked into the living room, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

"Hurry it up, Rouge. Omega's ready to leave." Shadow said, frowning.

"I can't go." Rouge said, "I'll just slow you guys down. Can I stay home?" She looked at him, giving him a pout with her perfect, glossy lips.

"Fine." He said, "But when I get back, we're talking about this." He said accusingly, turning around and mumbling something that sounded like 'good-for-nothing slut.'

That stung a bit. Shadow was a very quiet person. He didn't show many emotions towards others, but they had been allies for a long time. If anything, she considered him her best friend. That didn't stop him from giving her the cold shoulder from time to time, unfortunately.

"Don't use that word to describe me, asshole!" Rouge shouted, throwing a pillow at him. But he had already slipped out of the door.

She jumped onto the couch, massaging her temple. She was out of her element, and it was interfering with her work, hobbies, and relationship with her teammates. She wanted to lie down and fall asleep, but part of herself stopped her from doing so. She knew she would dream about him and his touch. Lately, her dreams involving Knuckles consisted of them yelling at each other, then punching and kicking each other, then getting on top of each other, and right when things were about to get intimate, she woke up saying his name. It was an odd and somewhat disturbing cycle. The incident between them had happened a bit over two months ago, and despite having multiple opportunities to do so, she hadn't been to Angel Island ever since. Part of her was too scared to go. On the other hand, it was absolutely embarrassing. He reduced her from a sexy, confident temptress to a horny, desperate girl that was begging for him to take her right there on the overgrown grasses of the island.

"Ugh." She said, grimacing when she realized how gross she was. "Shadow was right." She said, though she would never admit that to him, because he would never let her live it down. She decided that she would spend the rest of the day watching cheesy romantic comedies and silently wishing that her love life could be like that. Her mind kept drifting back to Knuckles though.

In the middle of a lovemaking scene on her second rom com, Rouge began to squirm and feel uncomfortable. She felt as though she picked the wrong genre. Romance was the last thing she needed on her mind. Trying not to think of that stupid echidna was futile when everything in her was screaming that she needed him.

"Damn it! Damn it all! I need a drink." She said to herself, rummaging through her cabinets and even taking a peek at the fridge. But there was no liquor to be found.

"What the hell…?" She whispered to herself, looking everywhere throughout the house. She finally found a small piece of paper in one of the cabinets.

 _Okay, you're a pathetic drunk. Not judging though, considering I'M not exactly Mr. Perfect (even if I AM known as the Ultimate Lifeform). Point is we all have our flaws. Right now, yours is drinking. So I threw out all your liquor because even if you annoy the crap out of me, I care about you, okay? Plus as your roommate I'm tired of seeing all these sex-crazed guys coming to our apartment and thinking I'm your boyfriend. Get your shit together.  
\- Shadow_

Rouge blinked a couple of times before crinkling it up and throwing it in the trash.

"Did that fucker forget that I own a _bar_?" She growled angrily. Access to alcohol wasn't a challenge for her at all. But the fact that she would have to walk a few extra steps to Club Rouge to get the fix she so desired was enough to set her off. To make sure he didn't miss any bottles, she double checked again, but came out empty handed. The only desirable beverage at hand was a fruit smoothie that had another note taped to it by Shadow. She skimmed through it, and it was basically the same message all over again, only this time it was about how water and fruit smoothies should be the only liquids rushing through her body. It had a bit of a sexual connotation to it, referring to the rise in her promiscuity ever since she had visited Knuckles.

She shrugged, grabbing a cup and drinking the smoothie. It was delicious, but it didn't change the fact that she was mad at Shadow for throwing out all her alcohol.

A couple of hours later, Shadow and Omega had come back home. As soon as Shadow opened the door Rouge was standing up and staring at him with a glare. Her hands were placed on either side of her curvy hips and her eye was twitching. She was trying her hardest to contain her anger, but it was difficult.

Unfortunately his eyes didn't even meet hers when he opened the door, he simply stepped past her, his arm brushing past hers. The action made her even angrier, but she tried to control herself.

"My sensors detect that your BAC level is at .00. Compared to your levels for the past two months this is slightly unusual." Omega said, his robotic and steel tone made her cringe. As much as she loved that robot, it was the last thing she needed to hear.

"Oh, shut up." Was all she bothered saying to him, waving him off and walking over to Shadow.

"That wasn't very nice." He reprimanded, as though she were his child.

"You know what else isn't nice? Taking my liquor and throwing it in the trash." Rouge said callously.

"I did it for your own good."

"I'm an adult; I can take care of myself and make my own decisions, Shadow. I don't give a shit if you're my roommate or not."

"You know better than to talk to me like that." Shadow said sharply, turning and facing her completely, his crimson eyes narrowing at her. "I can't even count how many times you've blacked out at your club or on the streets, leaving me to bring you home safely."

Rouge bit her lip, he had a point there. She never actually told him why she had been acting differently lately. As her main ally and best friend, he did have a right to know. But there was still one thing nagging at the back of her mind…

"That doesn't give you the excuse to call me a good for nothing slut."

She knew she caught him there when his piercing red eyes actually softened up a bit.

"…You heard that?" There was an air of uncertainty and a tinge of guilt in his words, but he still kept his cool.

"Yeah, I did."

"Okay, maybe it was a bit harsh. But I was upset; you can't blame me for being upset. But you're right. It was inappropriate to say, and I apologize."

Rouge felt herself soften up when he said that. She even gave him a tiny smirk.

"I forgive you. And… I need to talk to you about something."

"Does it have to do with why you stayed home today? Because we still have to discuss that." Shadow said, following her to the couch.

"Actually, yes. That, and why I've been… acting strange."

"I'm listening." He said, and by his posture and look in his ruby eyes, Rouge knew he actually was.

"So remember when we had those three days off, and I went out of town?"

"Yes..." Shadow said slowly.

"Well, I went to a night club for a couple of drinks and a bit of dirty dancing. And I met this guy, and I stole his watch. You know, that expensive one, right?"

"Okay?"

"I know I'm not making much sense, but just hear me out. I had a couple of drinks with the guy before I stole his watch. And we went out to the dance floor and I was grinding on him and everything, then he started touching me. You know, 'touching' me. So while he was preoccupied I snagged the watch. Then I ditched him."

"And now you feel guilty about it, and are developing bad drinking habits and sleeping with men who are susceptible to your charms as compensation?"

"What!? No!" Rouge face palmed, "I'm not done yet. I came home, and then I went to Angel Island. Remember that?"

Shadow nodded silently.

"When I went there, I saw this beautiful diamond necklace. It was seriously one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I had ever seen. I was entranced. So I grabbed it, and I tried to leave the island without attracting any attention. But Knuckles saw me. And we started fighting over it. Can you believe that!?"

Shadow scoffed, "Of course I can. You two would fight over a pencil under certain circumstances."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you two are immature. But continue telling your story. I. Am. Captivated." He said in the most sarcastic voice ever, his face devoid of any form of emotion.

Rouge rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so I was running towards the edge of the island so I could jump down and fly off with the necklace. Then, he grabbed me and… he kissed me!" Rouge said, biting her lip. She began feeling embarrassed and knew her cheeks were flaming up.

"What? Was it a bad kiss?" Shadow asked.

"No!" She sighed when he smirked. "Ack… I didn't mean it like that. The kiss was good, and there was lots of touching. Like, a _lot_. But he only did it so he could grab the necklace and push me off of his island."

"Oh, I get it." He finally said, "So Knucklehead pulled a Rouge. Nice."

Rouge gave him a bitter look.

"Come on, you can't be mad at me for saying that. Look at yourself. Look at how you treat men. There's nothing wrong with asserting your sexuality, but sometimes you take it too far."

"I know. That's why I told you the first part of the story. I realized what he did to me was the same thing I did to Scourge."

Shadow's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

" _Scourge_? You stole that watch from Scourge?"

"Yeah. Why? You know him?"

"Yes, I do Rouge. And he's bad news."

Rouge's stomach did a flip when he said that. Having to worry about an admittedly sexy green hedgehog tailing her for an overpriced watch was the last thing she needed on top of being hung up over Knuckles' touch.

"How bad?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level, but Shadow could hear the fear.

He shook his head, feeling a bit regretful that he caused his beautiful bat friend any concern.

"Don't worry about it. You're an independent woman; you can take care of yourself." He said reassuringly.

"But what about me blacking out and you having to –"

"You know what, Rouge? I think you need to see Knuckles." He said, cutting her off, and secretly wanting the conversation to be over.

"Huh!? W-Why would I do that?"

"Because you're clearly hung up over him. Look, don't argue with me. Just admit it." Shadow said.

Rouge couldn't help it. Her bottom lip quivered.

"I tried Shadow. I really did." She said, scooting closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder. Surprisingly, he didn't push her away. Maybe it was because he was feeling unusually compassionate today, she wasn't sure. "I tried having sex with too many different men, and drinking to ease the desire I felt… But it didn't work. It didn't fucking work." She said, gasping as a couple of tears escaped her eyes.

"Are you really going to cry over this idiot?"

"Well what else should I do? I can't drink unless I go down to the club, since you threw away all the liquor I had stashed up here." She said, pulling back from his embrace to give Shadow a livid stare.

"Rouge, drinking your problems away isn't the answer. How many times must I say it? And I threatened the bartender to make sure he wouldn't give you any alcohol."

"You can't do that!" Rouge complained.

"Why not?" Shadow asked daringly.

"I'm the owner!"

"I'm the Ultimate Lifeform." He said tauntingly. "I win," he added with a wicked grin when Rouge didn't respond.

"I hate you." Rouge declared, standing up and slipping into a pair of heels. She grabbed her purse and walked out.

"Don't wait up." She said.

"I won't," Shadow replied, not missing a beat. He looked over curiously. "So you're finally going back to Angel Island?"

"Hell no, I'm going to see if your threats really worked. I need to get drunk." With that, Rouge headed down to Club Rouge. It was now late afternoon. Rouge was shocked at how quickly the day had gone by. She entered her club, immediately feeling herself relax and enjoying the ambiance. Club Rouge was without a doubt the hottest venue in town. Tourists and young, horny teenagers were always scouring the club. Whenever she entered the club, it seemed as though she attracted all the males like a moth to a flame. In addition to her undeniably irresistible appearance, it was also due to the fact that she was the owner of the place. As she headed up to the bar however, she froze.

Sonic was there.

Rouge had to blink a couple of times, shaking her head in disbelief. She had no idea what Sonic was doing at the club without telling her, especially at the bar since he was underage. However, since he was her friend, she decided not to put him on blast for it.

"Long time no see, Big Blue." Rouge said with a seductive smirk on her face.

Sonic turned, startled at first, but the initial shock faded and was replaced with a wide grin.

"Heya Rouge!" He said, standing up to give her a hug.

Rouge smiled, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a friendly squeeze. While she was wrapped up in his arms however, she noticed another figure walking up towards them. A red echidna.

Her jaw dropped when she realized who it was.

Knuckles.

* * *

Knuckles nearly dropped the red cup in his hand when he saw the beautiful white bat wrapped up in Sonic's arms. She broke the hug immediately, a look of indignation on her face.

"Woah, is everything okay?" Sonic asked, seeing her vexed expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I need to talk to your friend." Rouge said, pointing behind him.

Sonic turned around and saw Knuckles.

"Oh, hey Knux. I'll, uh, leave you two alone?" He asked nervously. He walked away slowly.

Knuckles frowned, wanting the hedgehog to come back. He hadn't been expecting to run into Rouge – which was probably a stupid expectation considering she owned the club.

Truth be told, he had secretly been hoping she would come back to the island. Even though he made it seem like their heated make out session was just a provocative attempt at taking back the necklace, part of him actually enjoyed it. He knew that as a naturally sexual being, Rouge would be an experienced kisser. But he didn't expect to be taken back by how soft her skin was, or how amazing her body felt in his. Just looking at her gave him the desire to grab her and have his way with her. It wasn't helpful that she looked fantastic. She was wearing a crop top that exposed her perfect belly. Her jeans were tight and hugged every curve wonderfully. He usually didn't ogle at her body, but he made an exception for now. His mind snapped out of it though when she started chastising him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, with a hint of petulance.

"Uh, Sonic invited me here." Knuckles said, attempting to walk past her and find his blue friend.

"Oh no you don't," Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the shoulder, pulling him back. "I don't want you here. And I have the authority to kick you out. You know that right?"

"Look, I don't want any drama. Sonic wanted to have a good time, and Tails is too young to come here. So he invited me."

"So? You're too young to be here, well, at least at the bar."

Knuckles glared at her. "Listen bat, I didn't want to be here. Especially when I heard that you were going to be here. So just leave me alone." With that, he pushed Rouge's hand off his shoulder and tried to walk past him again.

"Hey! Wait!" Rouge said, running and stopping him. "I need to have a word with you. Follow me."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll kick your sorry ass out. Now _come on_!" She said, and pulled him aside to one of the V.I.P rooms of the club without waiting for a response.

Knuckles yanked his hand away from her arm.

"Figures you would be the one to ruin my fun."

"Oh please," Rouge said sourly. "Like you even know how to have fun."

"Whatever. What do you want to talk about?" He asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

"You know damn well what I want to talk about."

"You mean this?" Knuckles asked, pulling out the diamond necklace. Rouge's heart nearly stopped. The necklace, her current prized possession, was right there. Right there in reach. She didn't bother questioning why exactly he brought it with him, especially since it wasn't her main focus at the moment.

"This isn't about the necklace, you dimwit! It's about the kiss!" She wailed, her teal eyes showing genuine pain. Although she knew that the side of her that was infatuated with jewels was still insistent on getting that necklace, regardless of how she felt for Knuckles.

Knuckles stared at her wordlessly.

"Are you gonna say something? Or just stare at me?" Rouge asked.

His silence was enough to answer her question.

She bit her lip, trying to contain her emotions, but wasn't succeeding. So she simply continued to speak.

"Because of you, I'm all messed up. I'm out of my element. I can't stop thinking about that kiss. I don't understand why you would do that to me! I despised you, part of me still does. But…" She paused, trying to read his expression.

On the outside, Knuckles wasn't sure what emotion he was displaying. But his heart was racing. She felt the same way he did.

"But what?" He asked.

"You know what, never mind." She walked past him.

"No, tell me." He said, his voice strangely soft.

Rouge turned and looked at him. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh. You're enjoying this, aren't you? You enjoy seeing me flustered like this. Why are you acting so clueless, Knucklehead? You kissed me and groped me, then pushed me away – and now you're acting like nothing's happened, like nothing's changed!"

"Why are you griping at me? You're the one who's always trying to steal my gems! I'm a guardian, you're a thief, and you expect us to be friends? Every other force, down to our personalities prohibits us from being friends. Like I'd ever want to be 'friends' with you!"

"Who ever said anything about being friends? I just need to know why you would kiss me! Why not just punch me in the face instead?"

Surprisingly, Knuckles laughed. Rouge stared at him, getting angrier by the second. Why wasn't he as pent up as she was? Did she really mean that little to him?

"Oh gosh, batgirl. You should hear yourself. You really should."

"What?"

"You sound like such a hypocrite right now. It's actually kind of funny."

Rouge could feel that weird, bubbly sensation in her stomach again.

"…Don't say that."

"Oh, too late. I said it. Cause it's true. You're a hypocrite."

"No I'm not." Rouge said, her ears flattening instantly. She looked away from him.

"Yes, you are. You break hearts left and right. I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

"A taste of my own medicine, you say?" Rouge asked, raising an eyebrow. She stepped closer to Knuckles, until she could feel his breath against her face. "Would you have done the same if some other female had taken the necklace? Like Amy, or Blaze? Or maybe Tikal…"

"What!?" Knuckles blushed profusely, losing his calm and collected demeanor instantly. "No… Never."

Rouge smiled, lowering her eyelids and trying (and succeeding) to look sexy.

"So why me?" She asked, feeling herself gain the upper hand. It was time for her to get her revenge. It was time for her to do unto him what he did to her. But part of her stopped. She remembered Knuckles touching her, whispering into her ear, caressing her body… and she closed her eyes as she thought of how reckless she acted because of him.

"…Rouge?" Knuckles asked nervously, grabbing her right shoulder. The motion was like electricity. She gasped at his touch, pulling away immediately.

"Stop that…" She said, opening her eyes. He had never seen so much pain in her beautiful teal orbs. "Can't you see what you've done to me? I'm a fucking wreck because of you, Knux. It's you. It's always you. Seduction is my forte. Manipulation is my forte. And once again, you come in and you change all of that. _It's always you_." Rouge felt herself breaking down again. It was humiliating, this overwhelming feeling of helplessness she seemed to feel whenever she thought of Knuckles. And what was worse was that he wasn't giving her much of a response. She walked back, sitting on one of the couches in the V.I.P lounge.

"What do you mean once again?" He asked.

"I mean, men are so easy for me to charm. But when it comes to you, you're so damn stubborn. You don't even like me. And I mean, you kissed me. And forgive me if I'm coming off too strong, but the kiss was fantastic, Knuckles. I hate to admit it, but it was. Then you just HAD to push me off your island. You left me to fall into oblivion with no explanation as to why you would do that."

"I'm a guardian, Rouge." Knuckles reminded her, "I had to watch over my emerald, and any other gems that are around. You're the one who stopped coming to the island. I thought maybe you finally moved on."

"That emerald WILL be mine." Rouge said, jabbing him in the chest. "Don't you forget it. And if you have an emerald to watch, why the hell are you here?"

"Team Chaotix is watching my emerald for me." He replied simply.

"You trusted a hyperactive bee, a temperamental crocodile and hotheaded chameleon to watch your emerald?"

"Shut up." He said, crossing his arms. She sighed, crossing her legs and looking down. "Why did you stop coming to the island?"

"Hello? The kiss? Have you not been hearing anything I've been saying to you? Knuckles, I've been trying to drown my thoughts of you away with alcohol and sex."

He grimaced at her words. He didn't like the idea of Rouge having sex with other men. But the fact that she was hung up over him was satisfying. He still thought she was irritating and annoying as hell, but he couldn't deny that there was some sort of chemistry between them.

"And? Did it work?" He asked, cupping her face and making her look at him.

She looked so beautiful; it took all of his willpower not to be too brash with her.

"No." She breathed heavily, losing herself in his eyes.

He was losing himself as well. He didn't understand how she could call him stubborn towards her flirtatious actions. He regretted kissing her to get the necklace off of her, because he didn't expect that either one of them would feel this strongly about it. Instead of responding to her words, he leaned in and attempted to close the distance between them, but she pushed him away. He frowned at her, but she simply shook her head.

"I get to start this time," she said, her eyes clouded with lust as she slowly stood up from the couch and repositioned herself in his lap. She licked her lips and leaned in without hesitation, kissing him fervently. The moment she did, it was the most liberating feeling ever. She felt his hands hold onto her arms, caressing her skin gently. She held onto his shoulders, letting out a tiny sigh as he sucked on her bottom lip. His tongue slid across her bottom lip, tasting her sweet lip gloss. She parted slightly to allow his tongue to enter her mouth.

Their tongues did a sensuous dance, and Rouge grabbed his gloves, pulling them off. She wanted to feel his bare skin against hers. They continued to kiss, and then Knuckles slowly broke away, a thin line of saliva trailing with him. He lowered himself, kissing her neck, and loving her scent.

She sighed, holding onto his head as he kissed and sucked on her flawless skin. She had missed him so much. For too long, she wanted his touch again, and now she finally had him back. She wouldn't let go this time.

He stroked her hips, continuing to lower his hot kisses down to her breasts, burying his face deep in her cleavage. She giggled and moaned at the sensation. Finally, she took her top off, leaving her in her bra. She smiled at his aroused expression.

"You want me, don't you?"

"…What?" He paused for a moment, looking up at her.

"You acted like that kiss on your little island meant nothing to you."

He scooted up a little and planted a tiny kiss on her perfect lips.

"I think we both know how we really feel towards each other." He responded simply, brushing his fingers across her body, and finally wrapping his arms around her to unclasp her bra, and expose her naked breasts. She didn't say anything, only watched him as he lowered himself again and began kissing her breasts. He licked her left nipple, stroking her left breast tentatively. He used his other hand to twist the other.

"Unh… Knuckles…" She moaned, feeling his member against her thigh.

He smiled as he brought his mouth down to fully suck on her breast, loving the sounds of pleasure he was able to elicit from the ivory bat. She was enjoying it up until she noticed his smug expression and (hesitantly) lifted him up from her body.

"Wha…" He said, as she pushed him into an upright position on the couch and got on her knees.

"Don't worry, I think you'll like this." She gave him a flirty wink as she grabbed his erection. He gasped at the contact, watching prudently as she stroked him slowly. She leaned in, licking him slowly, staring into his eyes the entire time. He was without a doubt the biggest of all the guys she had ever taken on. She licked the sides of his member, slowly trailing her tongue up to the tip, before taking it completely in her mouth. She closed her eyes, focusing on pleasuring the echidna, who was groaning in pleasure. She bobbed her head slowly, trying to get used to his size. She had no idea that underneath all that fur the hotheaded guardian had such a large package. She moaned into his cock as his fingers brushed against her fur. He grabbed her head and helped her movements. She loved it, allowing her tongue to glaze over every inch. When she finally pulled away he looked flustered.

 _Perfect,_ she thought as she slipped out of her tight jeans. Knuckles reached forward and grabbed her thong, slowly pulling it down. He stopped to look at her for a moment, as he had never seen Rouge naked before. She was absolutely perfect in every way; her body was devoid of any sort of flaw. The part of him that was screaming to be a gentleman stopped him from going any further.

"Are you sure you want to continue?" He asked, a sly smile gracing his handsome features as he added, "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Rouge pushed his body against the couch and climbed on top of him once more.

"Just for that comment," she said, sliding onto him slowly. She winced as she did so, he really was big, and she didn't like how he was so… 'aware' of it.

"It's okay, I'll help you." He said huskily, gripping her well rounded rear.

"When did you become so suave?" She whispered, trying not to cry from the mixture of pain and pleasure she was experiencing as he helped her move up and down against him.

"I learned it from you, batgirl…" He said, giving her a kiss on the lips.

And so they continued their steamy lovemaking session.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the heart of the club, Sonic was looking around for Knuckles – but to no avail.

"Knuckles!?" Sonic called out as loud as he could against the deafening sounds of music. "Man, I sure hope Rouge didn't kill him… Chaos knows those two don't get along."


	3. Chapter 3

With the exception of the night club's neon glow and the glimmering of the treasured necklace, the room was completely dark. Ivory and crimson figures intertwined, their bodies fitting together like a puzzle. Rock hard abs met soft, voluptuous curves. They breathed steadily in unison.

That afternoon would be one to go down in the history books. Sworn rivals, two stubborn souls, joined and made passionate love on the couch without hesitation or trepidation. Hate and contempt clashed with love and desire – and the latter was victorious. The two beings had touched and explored each other limitlessly and enjoyed every second of it.

Slowly, the white bat's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes slightly widened when she realized that this was the second time that day she had been naked with an attractive male. Only this time, she was with the one she desired most. The very first thing she saw was the muscular arm of her forbidden lover. Red fur that hid firm muscles, large arms that knew how to make her scream his name. She immediately blushed, squirming awkwardly underneath his embrace. To have him all to herself, it was perfection. But she noticed something else.

The necklace.

It was on one of the glass tables, its shine so bright that it was a stable light source in the room. The intricately carved diamonds hung snugly to the silver chain. For the huntress, it was a dream come true. It was the exact moment to get what she wanted, what she desired, what had driven her to the brink of insanity. The necklace was the reason she had slept with Knuckles. Part of her resented the red echidna for how he played her, part of her loved it. Slowly peeling his arms away from her body, Rouge crept off the couch, using the armrest to help her stand up steadily.

Big mistake.

Almost instantly, her legs gave way and she collapsed. She couldn't begin to fathom soreness of her legs. They were the most durable parts of her body, trained and hardened by years of kick boxing. Having been with a few men with lots of stamina, she found that her legs weren't as fragile as those of other women. She was strong and could endure even the longest nights of suggestive activity. The fact that Knuckles was able to break through that couldn't even upset her – it made her feel an even stronger attraction to him.

She ended up trying to stand once more, her legs were wobbly but she succeeded, quietly walking towards the necklace. She stared at it, her manicured fingers reaching out towards it hungrily. But she stopped.

 _Why did I stop?_

Rouge looked back at Knuckles who was asleep. This was her chance; this was her chance to give him a taste of what he had given her. She gave him one of the best (and only) sexual thrills of his life, and now she was going to snatch his treasure away from him. Just like she had done to Scourge.

Except Scourge meant nothing to her.

 _Damn it…_ Rouge thought, frustration coursing through her veins. She clenched her fingers, slowly retracting her arm and placing her hand on her hip. She eyed the necklace, chewing on her plump bottom lip. Knuckles had gone through hell to keep her from running off with it – and intentionally got a taste of heaven as he did so – why on earth would he bring it back with him? He had shown it to her so carelessly, dangled it around like it was bait and she was a fish. Too entranced by thoughts of seducing the echidna that filled her soul with fire; she hardly gave it a second glance. But now they both got what they wanted.

And something in Rouge was bubbling.

… _A test._

If the necklace was so valuable to him for reasons unbeknownst to her – why would he leave it out in the open? Perhaps he brought it with him as he left the island because he wanted to keep it safe from any other intruders – in case the Chaotix proved to not be as dependable as he thought they would. Or maybe, it was a test.

To see whether or not she would snag it after sharing an intimate moment with him. She saw him pull the necklace out while she was in the middle of professing her conflicting emotions. She never actually saw him put it on the table, or maybe he had done so as she was pulling her clothes off.

One thing was for sure, their little game was over. Rouge knew that stubborn red echidna was _the_ – if not, at least _one of_ – the objects of her desire. And if he wanted to play games, she would play along with him.

Slowly slipping back into her undergarments before moving around to find her crop top and hip hugging jeans, she stole a glance at the steadily breathing echidna.

"I don't love you, Knuckie." She said, grabbing the necklace and strutting out of the dimly lit room. But in her heart of hearts, she knew that wasn't completely true.

Slowly, amethyst eyes fluttered open, taking the dark scene before him into view. Knuckles had slipped in and out of consciousness; his fingers would brush up against Rouge's. It was as if he had to remind himself that he did indeed have sex with the temptress herself. The only woman who knew how to get under his skin, but keep him coming back for more. Or at least _she_ was the one who came back, and left him wishing she would grace him with her appearance more often. He would never admit it though. He knew what happened between them, the electricity and the passion that they felt, it had no further emotional attachment… or at least, it shouldn't have. At this point, he wasn't sure what he felt anymore. They loathed and lusted after one another – but he had a commitment to his emerald, to his ancestors, and to his future descendants.

It didn't surprise him when the glimmering diamond necklace wasn't on the table. As gullible as he was, he learned a few things about wits after getting tired of Rouge constantly pulling tricks on him. He didn't forget about the necklace, he left it there purposely. Somewhere along the line, he had hoped that there was a possibility Rouge would feel an inkling of affection towards him. He had hoped that someone as beautiful, independent and strong as her could look beyond the temptation of materialistic goods and truly love him. As she rode him aggressively she had whispered sweet nothings into his ear. Through the sensual moans, gasps, and the scandalous roaming of hands – he could've even sworn he heard the word ' _love.'_ But the necklace – or lack of a necklace – told him that it was probably only him that felt that way.

More than just slightly disappointed, Knuckles slowly stood up, his lower region aching tremendously as he did so, and walked stiffly out of the room. The club was nearly empty, but judging by the soft glow of the lights and the slow music that rang throughout the building, it was still open. Knuckles looked around, hoping to find a clock or get a grasp of just how late it was. He ran into Rouge in the late afternoon, and they made love well into the evening. It had to be at least a couple of hours past midnight.

Ask, and you shall receive. Peeking at a young hedgehog's phone, Knuckles saw that it was two in the morning. He bit his lip when he remembered that he had come to the club with his blue friend, who was probably at home or on the streets of Station Square, holding a sign that said ' _Missing echidna! Tall, red, and slightly hotheaded!'_ The reward for doing so would be something stupid, like maybe 100 rings or less. He sighed, and decided it would be best to simply head back to Angel Island. The weather seemed compliant, so he fingered his dreads, getting ready to glide back to his floating sanctuary.

As he exited the club, he decided to give it a last glance. Inside, he was hoping, demurely, that this would not be the last time he saw it. He looked at the building and knew that what had occurred within it was a memory that would stick with him forever. He studied the building carefully, biting his tongue as his mind insistently flashed back to Rouge. He could still feel her nails digging into his back, he could still feel her soft breasts pushing against his firm pectorals, he could still feel the tightness of her dripping flower slamming into his shaft over and over and over…

So he pinched himself, and chastised himself for having such crude thoughts about a woman. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't help how he felt towards her.

Right as he was about to look away, he noticed a figure towards the left of the club. Up, near what looked to have led to an apartment. He blended in well with the night; it was the crimson streaks in his quills that gave away his appearance. Knuckles blinked a few times, his mouth slowly forming into an 'o.' It was Shadow! And suddenly, he disappeared. Knuckles briefly wondered if he possibly had a chaos emerald with him, but there had been no flash of light.

Unsure as to why he was so curious about seeing the sulky hedgehog near Rouge's club, the echidna jetted back into the nightclub and looked for a way to get up to the apartment. He maneuvered hastily between the sweaty adolescents that had taken their dancing down a notch, rolling their bodies to the rhythm of the slow music, and climbed up a series of stairs past the V.I.P lounge where he and Rouge had their – ahem – _moment_ , and all the way to a door guarded by two large guards. They were buff wolves with piercing yellow eyes and natural scowls.

"We can't let you past here, buddy." One of them said, glowering at the smaller but sturdy echidna.

"I need to go through here." Knuckles said urgently.

"Miss Rouge is in bed. She don't want no visitors." The bodyguard insisted.

"This is different –"

"That's what they all say. Get lost buddy." The wolf growled, stepping forward and shoving Knuckles back so hard that he fell on his rump. The other guard laughed, and Knuckles, being the short-tempered dimwit he was, got angry and sucker punched both of them so hard that they were knocked out cold. Aside from a terrified bartender, there didn't seem to be any witnesses to the act that he had just committed. Relieved, he stepped through the door and into a terrace, sparingly close to where he had seen Shadow.

He looked around. Just looking at the exterior of her home, he could tell that Rouge lived rather lavishly, for a thief.

 _Why would someone who's already so well off need to steal anything?_

Knuckles stepped forward, ready to knock on the door but right before he did, the door opened. It was as though the being inside had been anticipating him. Red irises revealed themselves, staring intently at shocked violet ones.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Shadow and Knuckles asked each other simultaneously.

So he had been right. It WAS Shadow, and he was lurking around Rouge's place. But why? Knuckles could handle losing the necklace, but if he had to find out that she lied to him and was secretly with Shadow, he wouldn't be able to deal with anything in life any longer.

"I came here to see Rouge." Knuckles said weakly, but Shadow saw right through his ruse.

"Liar. You were about to leave and then you saw me. You really just came here to reassure yourself that it wasn't me."

Knuckles rolled his eyes, "So what? Yeah, I saw you. That doesn't mean anything. I… Hope you two are happy together." He turned away so that Shadow wouldn't have to see his face, which was turning redder and redder by the moment.

"Oh chaos…" Shadow groaned.

"What?"

"You fucked her, didn't you?"

Knuckles eyes widened and he turned around.

"Why would you even say something like that?"

"Because it's true. She came back to the apartment with wobbly legs and her fur was all over the place like she had just exited a rollercoaster."

"I'm sorry that your girlfriend cheated on you, dude. Much less with a loser like me, but it doesn't matter. You win. I'm going home." Knuckles grumbled, scratching his dreads. He had never acted this 'nice' towards Shadow before, and he knew that he would need to leave before he punched the hedgehog in the face.

"You really think I'm dating Rouge?" Shadow asked, a grossed out expression on his face.

"Don't try to make me feel better, I mean, you're spending the night at her place for crying out loud."

"Frankly, I don't give a damn about your feelings, echidna. I _do_ care about Rouge's, to a degree. I'm just being honest with you. We aren't dating. And I'm not 'spending the night.' I live here."

Knuckles couldn't stop his jaw from dropping.

"You _live_ here!?"

"Yes. For business purposes. We're partners."

"Yeah, 'business purposes' my ass." Knuckles said angrily, turning and walking away. If Rouge ever came back to Angel Island, there would be absolutely no touching. That bat was going to explain herself. Right as Knuckles grabbed the door to go back through the nightclub, Shadow spoke up again.

"She can't stop thinking about you Knuckles."

Knuckles wasn't sure if it was what he had said about Rouge, or if it was the fact that Shadow actually called him by his first name, but the guardian had to turn around yet again.

"Once again, I'm being honest." Shadow said, "She told me about Scourge, and what happened on Angel Island. She was a mess after what you did to her. I'd say that she's in love with you, if not, then you've put quite a spell on her."

"If she loved me, she wouldn't have taken the necklace. She loves herself more, trust me." Knuckles said, not even able to feel happy about what Shadow had just told him.

"Can't she love both?" Shadow asked him, giving Knuckles a wise smirk before closing the door and shutting him out for good.

Knuckles stared at the spot Shadow had just been in for a few moments, thinking about his question.

"But…" Knuckles mumbled to himself, thinking about Shadow's words for a bit longer, "What happened with Scourge?"

* * *

Rouge woke up the next morning literally face-to-face with the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Ack!" She squealed, rolling as far away from him as possible to the other side of her bed before sitting up angrily. "What the hell!?"

"Your boyfriend stopped by last night. Well, technically it was a couple of hours ago." Shadow said nonchalantly, sitting down on her bed.

"What? Why?" Rouge asked, frowning at how calm he was acting.

"Eh, it doesn't matter."

"…Any particular reason why you're telling me this now?"

"Give the necklace back." Shadow said abruptly, crossing his arms. The one thing Rouge absolutely loved about Shadow was also the one thing she absolutely loathed. He was blunt about his feelings, and while it was good to be honest, at times it was a bit much.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you love him. And he loves you. And I'm tired of you two going back and forth, especially now that it is starting to affect your obligation to Team Dark. Just give the necklace back, and while you're at it, return that damn watch. Bad things are going to happen if you don't."

"Shadow…" Rouge said, rubbing her eyes drowsily.

"Yes?"

"…Get out of my room. You're spouting nonsense and I'm too tired to listen to it. Besides, I can't return the watch. I'm never going to see Scourge again. And I won't give Knuckles the necklace back. He manipulated me so he could get the necklace back on Angel Island, I simply gave him his payback."

Shadow rolled his eyes, standing up.

"Rouge…. I'm asking you, as a _friend_ , to do this. Because if something happens to you, I might not be able to protect you."

"I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself, Shadow. He probably isn't even that mad. It's just a watch."

"Yeah, an expensive one." Shadow reminded her, standing up. "But whatever. Do what you must. Just don't expect me to watch."

Rouge sighed, shifting in bed and going back to sleep.

 _2 hours later…_

A bit more refreshed, Rouge sat up and stretched her wings out. Her large ears twitched a bit as she absorbed all the sounds within the house. Shadow and Omega were gone, probably off on a mission while she was relaxing on her unannounced hiatus. She stood up, walking towards her jewelry box and opened it up, eying both her expensive watch and diamond necklace.

Smiling to herself, she then walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

 _Maybe I'll hit up some boutiques in Station Square, do a little grocery shopping…_ She thought to herself as she washed herself up. Once she was done, she changed into booty shorts and a crop top – pretty much typical as she had a certain love for revealing clothing – and put both of her stolen treasures on.

"Return the watch, return the necklace, bad things are gonna happen if you don't," Rouge said in a deep voice, mocking her sulky partner as she grabbed her purse and headed out of the apartment.

Her first stop was a beauty shop, not too far away from Night Babylon.

Rouge was an absolute sucker for makeup.

Before being an agent at G.U.N. had become a particularly serious job for her, she worked as a makeup artist for her favorite makeup store. Unfortunately since she quit her job she wasn't allowed to get discounts on her makeup any longer but was still admired for her skills and could sometimes get two lipsticks for the price of one. Beauty, much like martial arts, was something she was passionate about and absolutely loved with all of her heart.

She smiled, entering the store but sighing internally as she thought of how expensive the makeup would be. She knew better than to blow all her rings off on a few products when she already had plenty. She wasn't earning her money's worth at G.U.N. since there had been a delay in her work, though that wasn't too important because she still made a ton of profit off of her club, AND it was Shadow's turn to pay the rent.

As she looked at the products surrounding her, completely entranced and ready to start buying, a female fox approached her curiously.

Rouge, sensing someone behind her, turned instantly.

"Hello." The young woman said politely.

"Hi darling. Can I help you?" Rouge asked as a courtesy, she secretly couldn't care less about the female, who was nothing more than a nuisance at the moment.

"You stole my line." She said with a laugh, "I was actually wondering if I could help you. You seem to be a bit indecisive on what you want to buy."

"Oh, I don't need your help." Rouge said, "I've been here plenty of times. I just enjoy browsing."

"Oh, okay. Well my name is Fiona if you decide to change your mind. I'll be here for anything you need."

Rouge nodded, turning to roll her eyes. She probably should've gotten a bit more sleep before coming to shop. She had no reason to be bitchy with the fox next to her but she couldn't help feeling a bit crabby as she thought of Knuckles and all the emotions he was making her feel at once.

 _Damn that echidna. Damn him to hell and back._

Rouge sighed, rubbing her temple. As soon as her head was cleared she decided she would go do some training. It would be good for her to channel all her frustration into a punching bag, preferably one with Knuckles' face taped to it.

"By the way, that watch is stunning!" Fiona said, evidently still on Rouge's tail as she browsed the store.

Rouge turned, slightly startled before smiling and looking at her hand.

"You like it?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend has one just like it."

"Oh really? What a coincidence." Rouge said.

"Well I should probably say he had one. His got stolen." She frowned slightly, a suspicious expression gradually unveiling itself on her face.

"You have to be careful with who you trust." Rouge said slyly, pangs of anxiety beginning to emerge within her being. Who the hell was this girl? Were Shadow's premonitions correct? He said he wouldn't be able to protect her… But she had a communicator. She could contact him at any given time. Her intuition was kicking in. She had to leave before something bad happened.

Immediately she turned to look at Fiona fully.

"Thanks for your help," she said, even though Fiona had been nothing but a nuisance to her. "I'll be leaving now." She speed-walked out of the store, heading straight towards her car when a gloved hand grabbed onto the wrist with her watch on it. She whirled around fearfully, only to be met with the eyes of a certain green hedgehog.

"Hi there, love. It's been a long time hasn't it? What… maybe two or three months?" Scourge snarled.

"You… How in the hell did you find me here?"

"Doesn't matter. I came to claim what's mine."

"You mean this watch? Take it. I don't want it anymore." Rouge yanked her hand back, unlatching the watch and throwing it at his face.

"You really think I would go through all of this trouble to find you for some damn watch?" Scourge took one large stride toward her, latching his arm around her curvy waist and pulling her close to him. If she hadn't gone to Angel Island and experienced a plethora of emotions with Knuckles, she would have played along with Scourge's little game and maybe even let him have his way with her. But that was beyond her now. She was head-over-heels in love with Knuckles, no matter how much she didn't want to be, and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

"What about your girlfriend? That WAS your girlfriend in the store, wasn't it? The annoying little fox following me around like a lost puppy."

"Yeah, so? She doesn't have a body like yours."

Rouge looked around. Everyone was passing them by as if the scene they were creating was perfectly normal and acceptable. She forgot how sexually audacious everyone was in Night Babylon and the areas surrounding it. PDA was common and in some cases, even encouraged.

"My goodness, you really are shameless aren't you?" Rouge tried to squirm out of his grip but he was persistent on holding onto her. "Don't tell me your girlfriend already knows about what you did and wants to have a threesome with me or something. I'm not interested in you anymore."

"I figured. But you see," his grip on her tightened, "I _really_ don't appreciate being made a fool of."

"Oh?" Rouge feigned innocence while still trying to get out of his grip – to no avail.

"And exactly HOW did I make a fool out of you? I never mentioned our little encounter to anyone and it's not like everyone in the club saw you dawdling around waiting for me to come back." She knew part of her statement was a lie, since she told Shadow about what she had done. But it didn't matter.

"You did make a fool out of me. I waited for hours for you to come back. You seemed so sweet… so harmless… But it turns out you weren't. You're almost as cunning as me. But now, I'm not going to play the nice guy."

"But… F-Fiona…" Rouge was getting tired of this. Finally, she kneed him in the groin then proceeded to kick him once his grip on her loosened. Several people screamed, obviously startled by the scene.

"So this is what it takes to get your guys' damn attention?" Rouge snapped at them angrily. She barely dodged a punch by Scourge, lifting her leg to deliver another swift and powerful kick. However, he caught her leg quickly before it could meet his face.

She smirked, swinging her leg with such strong momentum that he flew off and crashed into the hood of the car right behind hers.

"Thank goodness that isn't mine…" She muttered.

"Babe!" Fiona said worriedly, coming out of the store and gasping at the sight. He coughed out some blood before giving Rouge a vicious glare.

"Is this the bitch that stole your watch?" She turned and pointed at Rouge.

Rouge rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that's her."

"Well then leave it to me. I'll kick her ass."

"I'd like to see you try," Rouge huffed, getting back into a fighting stance.

"I'd like to see that too," a fourth voice rang out, striding towards them.

Rouge, thinking she couldn't have been more surprised than she already was, turned around immediately.

"Knucklehead!?"

Did her eyes deceive her? Was it really him? Why wasn't he back on his island doing his job?

Knuckles nodded at her absentmindedly, focusing his attention on the pair of delinquents that were trying (and failing) to assault Rouge.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

Scourge coughed up more blood before pointing a shaky finger at him.

"Who the fuck are you? Her boyfriend or something?"

"Yes." Knuckles said without missing a beat. Rouge's eyes widened and she looked at him incredulously, but didn't say anything.

"Getting your boyfriend to save you? Pathetic."

"Any better than having your girlfriend fight for you because you got your ass handed to you?" Rouge shot back. "Does she even know what happened between us that night?"

Fiona raised an eye ridge, her fearless demeanor faltering as she looked back at Scourge.

"What… happened?"

"Nothing babe, it was nothing." Scourge said quickly.

Clearly he hadn't told her.

"Are you sure it was nothing? Because if I remember correctly you couldn't keep your hands off of m –"

"Shut up!" He yelled crassly.

Rouge rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll let it go if you leave me alone. You have your watch back anyways. So just let it go, alright? I'm sure you have bigger issues to worry about."

Fiona didn't hesitate in calling Scourge out on his actions.

"You cheated on me again?"

"Babe, no, I was drunk and…" Rouge, deciding she didn't want to hear the lovers' quarrel, started walking off.

"You're welcome." Knuckles said, walking after her.

"What do you mean 'you're welcome'? You didn't do shit. I could have taken them both on by myself."

"I don't doubt that. You're a strong woman, Rouge." He said, a smile emerging on his face. Rouge turned around to face him. She hated how her heart fluttered at that one simple statement.

"Why are you here?"

"I was just passing by." He said simply.

"You really expect me to believe that? That just at the right moment you were conveniently here on this street and saw me getting attacked by two maniacs?"

"Well, I was waiting for the winds to pick up so I could glide back to Angel Island. I decided to walk around when I saw you. If you want to blame anybody for me running into you, blame fate."

"Maybe there _is_ some deity out there that wants us to be together…" Rouge mumbled.

"You think so?"

"How about I just fly you back up to your island? Then you can stay there like a good echidna while I try to get my life together." Rouge huffed.

Knuckles scoffed, "Yeah, okay. Whatever, bat."

* * *

"Thanks for the lift." Knuckles said awkwardly, scratching his dreads and looking away.

Rouge shrugged, not seeing her gesture as anything too nice. Being around Knuckles was surreal. Before their magical night together it had been so long since she had seen him. She was curious as to how he coped with what happened.

"I should get going." She said, turning and readying her wings for flight.

"Okay, bye." Knuckles said, turning to walk to the altar and sit in front of the Master Emerald… like he always did…

Rouge stopped, turning around to look at Knuckles. She couldn't help it. Staying away from him was the hardest thing she had tried to make herself do. Even harder than giving up jewels. Which is something that she had personally never done before, but she knew that it would be difficult considering her obsession with them.

"I thought you said you were leaving." He frowned at her. Did he want her to go?

Rouge ignored his comment, sitting down in front of him.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked him.

Knuckles looked away immediately.

A ghost of a smile made its way onto his face.

"You really don't waste any time, do you?"

"No. I don't. I want to know. How did you feel when I left? When I took the necklace with me?"

Knuckles shook his head.

"I thought I made my feelings about you pretty clear last night. I have no interest in that necklace. Only you. To be honest, I was more upset when I went up to your apartment than when I saw that you had abandoned me."

"You… came up to my apartment?" Rouge bit her lip, staring at Knuckles in shock. She didn't really believe Shadow when he had told her. She thought he had just said it to get her to wake up.

"Shadow was lurking around up there. You never told me that you two lived together."

"It never came up." She said with a shrug.

"Are you two lovers?"

"No."

"If you were, just tell me. He denied it but I'm tired of being seen as an idiot. If you two are fooling around and you don't want me to know, then too bad. Just stop lying to me. If anything, you owe me the truth."

"The truth?" Rouge asked, irritated by Knuckles' insistence on the fact that there was something between her and Shadow. She should have been delighted that he was so envious of their relationship, but the fact that she wasn't just went to show how much she truly loved him. "The truth is that yes, maybe I did want Shadow, a long, long time ago. But now I want you."

"Then why did you take the necklace?" He blurted suddenly. He meant it when he said that he didn't care for the necklace, not one bit, but it still didn't make sense that she would take it if she cared for him as much as she claimed that she did.

"I thought you had no interest in it?" Rouge said, looking at her nails casually and cleaning them up a bit, acting like it wasn't that big of a deal. "I took it because it was there for the taking. Don't be an idiot with your possessions and it won't happen again."

"Wow. You really are something else."

"Yes, I am. Don't act like it isn't part of the reason you're so fond of me. I know the truth." She winked at him.

Knuckles blushed. It was ridiculous, especially after everything they had done with each other, but every time she flirted with him he felt embarrassed.

"Was that Scourge?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yes. Shadow told you about him, didn't he?"

"He mentioned the name. Didn't say much else about him. I didn't get the chance to ask. Or I should probably say that I couldn't bear standing there any longer."

Rouge smiled wistfully.

"He told me bad things would happen if I didn't give him the watch. But that obviously didn't happen, thanks to you. Were you really just waiting for the winds so you could glide? There's absolutely no chance that you wanted to see me?"

"I did want to see you." Knuckles said with a sigh, "I stayed on the surface until the sun came up. And all I could think of was you. But seeing Shadow there… thinking about how close you two are, the kind of friendship you have… I've never had that type of closeness. With anyone. It's just me up here. And I thought maybe… maybe that would be us. I wanted to leave, but I also wanted to stay."

Rouge was at a loss of words. She didn't know what to say.

"What happened? With the watch? With that green hedgehog? I never heard the full story." Knuckles tried to dig his way out of an awkward and emotional conversation about their developing relationship.

Rouge sighed nervously. She didn't think she would have to talk about this. But now it was time for her to lay all the cards out on the table…

"A few months ago, I went to a club and made some bad decisions. I saw Scourge at the bar and he couldn't stop staring at me, so I flirted with him and we danced together. And then… Well, I noticed he had a really nice and expensive watch, and being the pathetic thief I am, I stole it."

Knuckles chuckled, trying to stomach the searing sensation in his stomach at the thought of Rouge being lovey-dovey with another man.

"At least you finally admit that you're a pathetic thief."

"I'm not proud of myself at the moment. That's the only time you'll hear me say it." Rouge muttered bitterly.

"So where does your heart truly lie then?" Knuckles asked, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

"You flirted with him recklessly then ran off with his watch. I mean, I'm not surprised, since he was a stranger and all, but… I'm not a stranger. I'm not your friend either by any means, but how do I know that this isn't a ruse? You tell me you can't get me out of your head, then run off like I'm nothing to you."

"I was scared." She said softly.

"Scared?"

"Liking someone isn't fun, Knucklehead. It's terrifying. Especially when that someone is your polar opposite. You called it the way it was. We shouldn't be together at all. It doesn't change my feelings for you, but we just aren't a good match. I guess that part of me knew that, and that another part of me was so hurt by what you did here on this island, that I wanted you to feel that too."

"You wanted to hurt me."

"Yes." She admitted. "That's why it was the first thing I was curious about when we got here. I wanted to know if I meant as much to you as you do to me."

"I should be the one wondering that. You hop around from guy to guy every other day of the week. While I sit here, thinking about you."

Rouge flinched. She knew the truth about herself and the choices she made with her body, but it was still unsettling to hear other people call it out the way it was. And that feeling was coming back. The yearning and want and desire. The fact that he waited for her and no other woman even came close to crossing his mind was enough to make her crack.

The pair simply stared at each other, just relishing the moment to look at each other fully.

"Make love to me." Rouge murmured inattentively, her hand reaching out to clasp onto one of his dreads.

"What?" He asked, not expecting her impulsive request.

"Did I stutter?"

"We did that last night… Now… you want to do it again?"

"I want to get used to it. Your body… on mine." She inched closer to him.

"Are you sure we should do this? Out here? Why not wait until we go back to your club?"

"So you'll come back down to see me?" She asked hopefully as she positioned herself in his lap.

"I… I guess." He breathed uneasily as Rouge casually began undressing herself. It was funny for her to see him go from nerves to confidence and then back to nerves. No matter how much of a sturdy front he put on to impress her, she was his weakness and she was well aware of it.

She ran her hands along his chest before leaning in to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Rouge, wait. What… if… someone… comes here… and sees us?" He asked in between kisses.

Each kiss became longer, more passionate, more meaningful.

"Why not give them a show?" She asked, giggling lightly.

"Eh, screw it." He said, grabbing onto her hips and pulling her even closer to him.

This felt… good. It felt right. It was better than admiring her from afar and trying to erase everything he had ever felt for her. He was in love with Rouge. He was so in over his head that he would be willing to hunt down every treasure (the Master Emerald excluded) that she didn't already own just to give it to her and keep her attention on him.

But he didn't have to.

She had everything she could possibly want (Master Emerald once again excluded) and now she was here, her hands all over him once more, kissing him with tenderness and affection, pouring her heart out to him in the kiss.

"I changed my mind," she said suddenly as she pulled away to catch her breath. She had skillfully discarded all of her clothing, and Knuckles had his arms wrapped around her naked body rather protectively, anticipating someone would try to come and ruin their moment of intimacy.

"What?" He asked, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice – though he failed miserably.

Knuckles and Rouge's relationship with one another had always been rough. They yelled and screamed and bickered like no other. Every time he punched at her, she would kick back at him even harder. When he thought he broke her down to the point of surrender, she would surprise him by testing the very last walls of his patience. They were never gentle with each other. Never easy, never sweet, never innocent. Maybe that's what Rouge loved about him most. Having someone that could handle her and even bite back.

"…I want you to _fuck_ me senselessly." She whispered, as though there was someone else with them. Of course they were alone, but it wasn't something she wanted to say out loud. She almost sounded desperate, which wasn't good for the ivory temptress, especially given her reputation for being the heartbreaker, not breakee.

Knuckles raised an eye ridge. She was talking nonsense now. They had sex less than twenty four hours ago and it had taken her a few moments to get adjusted to his size. Not only was she willing to go at it again, but this time she wanted him to be absolutely ruthless. Was this some weird kink or something?

"Rouge…"

"What?" She asked impatiently. She was literally naked in his arms and didn't like the sound of hesitation in his voice.

"Are you sure?" He asked, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Of course that's not how she interpreted it.

"Are you too scared? Or you think I can't handle you? Don't forget about who has more sexual experience here." She teased lightly, not expecting him to take it too seriously.

But he did.

Without another word he nearly slammed her body into the ground, inching himself on top of her. Both of his hands were on her shoulders, locking her into place. If any other female had found themselves in the position Rouge was in right now they probably would have panicked and tried to wriggle themselves out of the bulky echidna's grasp. But Rouge loved it. The only problem with so much restriction was not being able to reach up and grope him himself.

"Kn-Knuckles…" She stammered, turning red when she saw the way he was looking at her.

"What? Changed your mind already? This is what you wanted. I'm not going easy on you batgirl." He growled, his erection firmly pressed against her thigh.

Her legs twitched with anticipation.

"Knuckles…" she whimpered, raising her legs to wrap around his back. "Don't make me wait."

With a grunt he pushed himself into her, no warning, no slowness; he quickly enveloped himself into her warmth, shivering at the pleasure he felt as he did so.

Rouge screamed, her body shaking as her arms broke away from his iron grip. For a split second Knuckles thought perhaps he had been too rough with her but the thought was dispelled instantly when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him even closer to her, her nipples rubbing themselves against his chest with each thrust.

"Yes… Yes…" she gasped as he increased the pace, the only detectable sound being the sound of his flesh pounding into hers.

"Rouge… Fuck…" He grunted, "Holy shit. You're so… tight…"

Rouge's back arched, each wave was even more pleasurable than the last.

"More! I want more!"

Knuckles' eyes shot open, he looked down at the bat beneath him incredulously.

"You're crazy," he said breathlessly.

Trailing his hands up her body, he kneaded her breasts, rolling his thumbs over her nipples. Instead of increasing the pace he increased the force of his thrusts, causing her body to jolt over and over.

As they continued their session, Knuckles found himself inching closer and closer to his release.

"Rouge…" He said, panting.

"Yes." She responded, responding to his thrusts by moving her body along with his rhythm.

"I'm…"

"I know, honey." She said knowingly.

He closed his eyes, burying his face into the crook of her neck and allowed himself to come, savoring the feel of being inside of the only woman whom he could love and loathe at the same time, before finally pulling out.

Utterly spent, he fell on his back, relaxing while Rouge positioned herself in his arms.

"Knuckie." She said after a few minutes, when she finally gained her breath.

"Yes?"

"You really got me, didn't you?" She smirked at him, laying her head on his chest.

"I don't know. Did I?" He asked, stroking her back.

She smiled to herself, kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you." She said quickly.

Knuckles blushed, looking down at her.

"Okay. But if I wake up later and the Master Emerald is gone, I won't hesitate to beat your ass."

"Whatever." She mumbled, closing her eyes.

 _A few hours later…_

Knuckles woke up, and just as he expected, Rouge was gone. He stood up, flinching and holding onto his lower area.

"Damn that bat." He muttered to himself.

He was honestly disappointed that she left him again. He was considering making a visit to Night Babylon just to give her the ride of her life and then leave her hanging. With a heavy sigh, he limped back toward the altar. He was ready for his soreness to subside so that he could glide to the surface and grab his emerald, which he was certain that she had snagged.

But when he got back there, the emerald was still there.

Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, he walked up the stairs slowly, looking at the emerald carefully.

"If this is a ruse…" He murmured, placing a gloved hand against the emerald. The large gem shone against his hand, its brilliance was genuine and irreproducible. He looked to the side, noticing a shimmering object that was too beautiful not to be found.

It was the diamond necklace. The treasure that started it all between them.

Knuckles exhaled.

"…I guess I did get you." He said to himself, unable to contain the smile and rush of happiness that coursed through his being.

 **FIN**

* * *

 **a/n: Geez, this was long. I've had this in my drafts for MONTHS but never got around to finishing it. But now, I'm done! YAY! And I'm almost done with my other story too. Which means I can start writing and publishing all my other story ideas, and being irresponsible and inconsistent with those stories too. I want to write a KnuxRougeShad story. And a ShadRougeBlaze. But I don't know what I'll be doing next and when I'll be doing it. Um, I'm sorry for taking so long to update this. It's been nearly a year but I never forgot about this story. I meant to update it in like August (which was when I started writing the chapter, oopsy) but obviously I didn't. ANYHOO, the lemon at the end was rushed, I know (I tried to prolong it but scenes like that aren't always meant to be thorough), so I'm sorry. But thanks for reading everyone!**


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